Outcomes of international meeting on Persistent Organic Pollutants Presentation by Rochelle Diver (IITC) May 24 th, 2017 1
IITC/ACAT Side-Event: Screening of Documentary Circle of Poison http://www.circleofpoisonfilm.com/seethefilm 2
The US Environmental Protection Agency reported in 2012 that in 2010 there were facilities in 23 US states manufacturing pesticides which are not registered for use in the US (for export only) in response to a FOIA request from IITC and AEHR
BANNED AND RESTRICTED PESTICIDES MANUFACTURED IN AND EXPORTED FROM THE UNITED STATES 4
The Rotterdam Convention (and US law) allows the US to export chemicals whose use they prohibit in the US as long as they inform the importing country of their status "Just because something is not illegal, it may still be immoral. Allowing the export of products recognized to be harmful is immoral" -- UN Special Rapporteur on the Adverse effects of the illicit movement and dumping of toxic and dangerous products and wastes on the enjoyment of human rights, Ms. Fatma-Zohra Ouhachi-Vesely on her 1st country visit to the US, December 2001.
Pesticides and Community Health, Rio Yaqui, Sonora Mexico The airplanes spray chemicals on the crops, and it affects the town and its inhabitants. In and around the whole town there are large tanks holding hazardous chemicals. Many people have died here. -- Testimony submitted to IITC by a 48 year old mother of 6, Potam Pueblo, Rio Yaqui Sonora, October 19, 2003
Permanent Damage to Maternal Health and Development of Infants and Children Rio Yaqui, Mexico May 2006 7
Health Impacts in Indigenous Women and Girls Early puberty, abnormal breast development Sterility, miscarriages, birth defects, low birth weight babies Reproductive system cancers and breast cancers Uterine fibroids Toxins in breast milk, tissues fatty cord and cord blood Premature ovarian failure Damage to fetal reproductive organs, overall development Premature menopause Vicam, Rio Yaqui, 8 Sonora Mexico
This is a matter of life and death for Indigenous Peoples around the world Cristian Molina age 13, died May 15 th, 2008, shown with his mother in Potam Pueblo Sonora Mexico 2006 Juan Antonio Rodriquez, age 2, died April 11, 2013, shown his grandmother in Vicam Rio Yaqui Sonora Mexico; January 2013 9
Mrs. Flor Reyna, the mother of a young woman who was born with deformities. Currently the young woman is 30 years old and is 1.20 meters [3 11 ] tall. She says that when her daughter was born, the child s body was WATERY and JELLY- LIKE. The girl, due to her scant growth, is unable to move her legs. She can only move her arms. Her vital organs are atrophied. Studies conducted on her reveal that the girl developed deformities while in her mother s womb. The midwife, Sra. Jesús made the following comments: These deformities are the product of tumors produced by chemicals when young women are exposed to their application while working in the field without personal safety measures or other similar protection. --- Testimony received by IITC from Jittoa Bat-Natika Weria, Rio Yaqui Sonora Mexico, December 15 th 2011
The UN General Assembly Adopts the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, September 2007 Geneva, 1977 UN General Assembly September 13 th, 2007 New York 11
The Declaration is the Minimum Standard The rights recognized herein constitute the minimum standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of the indigenous peoples of the world. --Article 43
Right to Subsistence and Development: Article 20 Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain and develop their political, economic and social systems or institutions, to be secure in the enjoyment of their own means of subsistence and development, and to engage freely in all their traditional and other economic activities. Traditional Fishing Deschutes River, Oregon, photo by Mark McBrearty
Right to Health and to Traditional Health-Related Practices Indigenous peoples have the right to their traditional medicines and to maintain their health practices, including the conservation of their vital medicinal plants, animals and minerals. Indigenous individuals also have the right to access, without any discrimination, to all social and health services. Article 24
Indigenous Women & Girls are Disproportionately Impacted POPs stored in fatty tissue, fat cells are endocrine disruptors, impact reproductive capacity Indigenous women s central role in traditional food gathering/ preparation and cultural practices Indigenous lands targeted Indigenous Women and girls gather Tule (reeds) for basket making in Northern California 15
UN FAO Side-Event: Human Rights, Children s Rights, and Hazardous Substances & Wastes 5 May 2017 - Geneva International Conference Centre (CICG), Room 3 Photo Credit: Ghazali Ohorella 16
2007, 2008, 2012, 2014: UN CERD called on the US to prevent Human Rights Violations in other countries by their corporations In February 2008, CERD called upon the US to take appropriate legislative and administrative measures to prevent transnationals it registers from negatively impacting on the enjoyment of rights of indigenous peoples in territories outside the United States. [CERD/C/USA/CO/6] Exports included 27 million pounds of pesticides per year whose use is forbidden in the US -- Pesticide Exports from U.S. Ports, 2001 2003 17
United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues Report on the thirteenth session, 12-23 May 2014 16.Considering their impact on the sexual health and reproductive rights of indigenous peoples, the Permanent Forum calls for a legal review of United Nations chemical conventions, in particular the Rotterdam Convention, to ensure that they are in conformity with international human rights standards, including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 18
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child 1. States Parties recognize the right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health 2. States Parties shall pursue full implementation of this right and, in particular, shall take appropriate measures: (c) To combat disease and malnutrition, through the provision of adequate nutritious foods and clean drinking-water, taking into consideration the dangers and risks of environmental pollution; ) -- Article 24
In June 2015, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child recognized Environmental Health as a new human rights category for the protection of children s and maternal health IITC s delegation to the CRC country review of Mexico, May 2015, Geneva 20
The CRC recommended that Mexico: (a) Assess the impact of air, water, soil and electromagnetic pollution on children and maternal health as a basis to design a well-resourced strategy at federal, state and local levels, in consultation with all communities and especially indigenous peoples, to remedy the situation and drastically decrease the exposure to pollutants; (b) Prohibit the import and use of any pesticides or chemicals that have been banned or restricted for use in exporting countries; (c) Further examine and adapt its legislative framework to ensure the legal accountability of business enterprises involved in activities having a negative impact on the environment, in the light of its general comment No. 16 (2013) on State obligations regarding the impact of the business sector on children s rights. 21
Indigenous women are life givers, life sustainers and culture holders. Our bodies are sacred places that must be protected, honored and kept free of harmful contaminants in order for the new generations of our Nations to be born strong and healthy. -- 1 st INTERNATIONAL INDIGENOUS WOMEN'S ENVIRONMENTAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SYMPOSIUM, Alamo, California, July 1 st 2010 22
Call Out for Participation Photos by IISD/ENB Kiara Worth 23
Chi Miigwech, Many Thanks Photo by Ms. Jennifer Federico (IPEN) 24